The Secret World of Arrietty is an
adaptation (well, at least sort of) which
was inspired by Mary Norton's The
Borrowers. You know the book. That
one you were required to read in school. It's the story about
pint-sized (or are
they smaller?) people who live out incredibly normal lifestyles
underneath normal-sized
human homes. These people borrow sugar and other goods from humans who
wouldn't
even notice the items went missing anyway. They aren't thieves,
goodness no,
but tiny folk who recognize that most humans will never miss one piece
of sugar
when we have hundreds of them. It's logical and never harmful or with
malice.
It's just borrowing.

The
Secret World of Arrietty focuses
on
the girl named Arrietty, who is fourteen years old and who lives with
her
parents. She is just beginning to learn the borrowing trade. Then
something
happens that she doesn't quite expect: a human being sees her. It's the
boy,
equally young, who just moved into the house. He seems to be rather
solemn
towards things, but he is kind to Arrietty. The borrower family must
decide now
whether or not moving from the home in the best thing in cards for them
and to
try and avoid being noticed by any of the other humans in the
household.

Arrietty
continues to become friends with the human
boy named Shawn. An unlikely but assured friendship grows between them.
The rest of the story unfolds at a slow but
nice pace without ever feeling overburdened by plot. It reaches an
emotional
core that is the essence of the story towards the end. I wouldn't want
to
describe these moments as the surprise would then be ruined. Just see
the film
and experience its many small wonders.

Enter
Studio Ghibli. The same studio that brought
audiences the incredible artistic work by master filmmakers Hayao
Miyazaki and
Isao Takahata. You probably are most familiar with Miyazaki. He's that
guy that
made Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke,
My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo,
and Kiki's Delivery Service. Pardon
my choice of words... I know some might
wince when I say "He's that guy", but seriously, he is
that guy. He's a lone person who somehow manages to have enough
creative energy in him to write and direct one masterpiece, then
another one, without fail. I know
filmmaking is a collaborative process and that he doesn't do it all by
himself,
but still... he is the master of Japanese Animation. No one is better at
making
anime films than "that guy". Miyazaki understands his craft like no one
else
does. We'd have a ton of carbon copy Miyazaki films if that wasn't the
case.

Because
this is a Studio Ghibli production there are
undoubtedly a few set expectations by longtime fans. These expectations
are not
without reason. Fear not, the animation remains as breathtaking as
always! The
lushness of the trees or the blades of grass are felt with the
animation. The
design of the house is complex and captivating. There is never a moment
where
something magical isn't happening on screen. This may be one of the
best
reasons anyone ever experiences a Studio Ghibli production. The artwork
simply
draws viewers in and makes us believe in the possibilities of cinema to
represent art of the highest order again.
The Secret World of Arrietty is a
hybrid
production. I say this with no reservations about it being anything
else. It is
Miyazaki's attempt at pulling in new talent to see how things are
handled
without him being in full creative control. He co-scripted the film and
wrote
it with Keiko Niwa. Niwa co-wrote Tales
from Earthsea with Goro Miyazaki (Hayao Miyazaki's son) and
co-scripted From up On Poppy Hill (another upcoming
Ghibli production) with the help of Hayao Miyazaki. This is Miyazaki
testing a
new and promising writer for the studio. The film is directed by
Hiromasa
Yonebayashi (himself a first time filmmaker), and handpicked by
Miyazaki. This
is a test of having a new Director working within the studio. Then
there's even
the music. There isn't a Joe Hisaishi score. The music for The
Secret World of Arrietty is composed by Cécile
Corbel.

>

Hiromasa
Yonebayashi has crafted an impeccable
debut. It's one of the finest directorial debuts that I have ever seen.
Maybe
not as good as Miyazaki's, but he did set that bar extremely high,
wouldn't you
agree? The fact that The Secret World of Arrietty
is such wonderful filmmaking is a testament to the hard work of all the
new talents
involved in making the project become a cinematic reality. It is also a
testament to the legacy the master Hayao Miyazaki has built.

This is a
long-winded way of saying that The Secret World of
Arrietty will likely
feel familiar in style but also like a new experiment on the road to
many more
Studio Ghibli productions of stories told by different writers,
directors, and featuring
different composers. It's a film that clearly has Miyazaki's stamp all
over it
but it isn't a singular work when compared to what he wrote and
directed (with
Joe Hisaishi's scores always adding another stroke of genius).

We might
as well enjoy Studio Ghibli films while we
still have them and go and support these efforts by seeing them
theatrically. The Secret World of Arrietty is
receiving the largest push that any Ghibli film has received. Don't let
it become
a box-office flop or disappointment. Please (pretty please) with a
cherry on
top? Or was that too much...

Films
like The Secret World of Arrietty represent the main
reason we go to the
movies in the first place: to experience magic. There is nothing more
special in the world of cinema than that exhilirating feeling.

Highly
Recommended.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema, and a student who aspires to make movies. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.